Have started a cookery club in school, but have been criticised it not healthy eating! Please read!

[ziopin]

Here is what I've cooked so far:-

Ragu sauce, bacon, mushrooms an egg cup full of wine.

Chicken sagg (lots of spinach & mushrooms)

Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella Tart (Frozen puff pastry)

Sesame Beef Stir Fry (lots of veg)

Chocolate & orange cake (ok, but everything in moderation!)

Everything is made from scratch, apart from the balti paste (2 tablespoons)

Is this really unhealthy, I thought it was quite well balanced?

How on earth is that not healthy eating Thats a lovely range that will help them expand their tastes.

Fine with me too - I hate this is X / Y healthy - I always say to my DCs there is no such thing as a healthy food - you need balance and interest. Living off celery only every day would be considered unhealthy.

Was it the school or some parents?

Is this primary or secondary? How did you approach the school about using their facilities?

looks ok to me...
you already said it, but i think they key to healthy eating is "everything in moderation"

is it for teens? maybe you could do a session on a balanced diet...or show a plate with all the differebnt food groups on it, and explain the way a balanced meal is made up....

who has criticised??

What a lot of rubbish. Dearie me, if your talents and time are not appreciated then you can come and cook for me once a week. Sounds great.

well what rubbish - sound like a good range of recipes to me. Presumably you're trying to inspire the children to want to cook for themselves - well you're only going to do that by making things they want to eat. No point making a lentil salad or whatever.

I don't go in for this "healthy" "unhealthy" generalisation thing - in the G&T household we are all healthy and slim, and yet we do indulge in home baked treats most days, butter on toast etc etc

please can i have recipe for chicken sagg, sound delish

They all sound healthy meals to me . Do you send them home with a printed recipe? If so, you could print on it things like "2 of your Five-a-day", and "Try serving with a jacket potato"

Oh thanks for all you lovely messages of support!

I'm a teacher in a secondary school, and though I would start a cookery club, aimed at year 7, 8 & 9. I aim a year group a term.

I'm having a bit of stick from the co-ordinator of the after school clubs.

I do send them home with a printed copy of the recipe, but like you idea AMIStletoekiss of serving suggestions to add to it

Again, big love to you all!

oh FGS how ridiculous. and anyway even if you were teaching them to make meat or pasta with double cream - it's far healthier to know how to cook than to rely on "healthy" range diet meals.

I agree with others, they sound great recipes and the sort of thing I would be aiming to feed to my family. In what way are they unhealthy?

I agree with everyone else. It sounds really healthy, and exactly what I would like to cook and eat.

In fact, I second the call for your Chicken Sagg recipe... sounds yummy.

I hate the idea that only fruit and veg constitutes "healthy". Everyone, but especially growing teens need protein and some fat as well as carbs.

That sounds fab! My year 9 DS would love a club like that - he is really into cooking, and you are making proper things, not just pizzas and flapjacks.

The only thing I would be little a bit hesitant over is the inclusion of wine -(do the kids have to bring the ingredients in themselves?) I know I know - but best not to give any dissenters a cast iron excuse to flame you. (as it sounds like there's a bit of unimaginative jobsworth criticism going on any way.)

Ask the person who criticised your choice of food to provide a breakdown as to how it is unhealthy.

My dc are younger and recently made vegetable soup which was a surprise hit. Perhaps you could add that to your list?

It all sounds good to me!

It looks fine to me.

That sounds gorgeous! If you are forever making salads etc, it would get very boring and the kids would stop coming! Have you got a healthy schools co-ordinator? If so, get them on board and ask them to come and give a quick talk/hand out some leaflets etc - that should ensure that you've ticked the right boxes to get the critic to wind his/her neck in .

Who criticised?

some good advice here, and some fab recipes. Can i join the club please?

Message withdrawn

Am sure somebody else has complanined, but the after school co-ordinator is keeping that from me! So not sure !

I could just say 'sod it' and not continue with the club, but that would be really unfair on the pupils as they love it, but I dont want to change the recipes. I've has some amazing feedback from the parents too

We provide all the ingredients, at no cost to the pupils.

Chicken Sagg as follows:-

4 chicken breasts
1 onion - chopped
5-6 balls of frozen spinach
A little olive oil
4-5 mushrooms - chopped
2 tablespoons of Balti or tikka curry paste
Cup of milk
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Tin of baby potatoes - halved
Garam massala (optional)
Fresh coriander

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and chicken and fry until the chicken begins to brown and has become white all over. Add the mushrooms (once the chicken is cooked) and cook these for a few minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of curry paste, and stir for a minute to combine with the meat.

Add tomatoes, milk and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the frozen spinach and the halved potatoes, cook for another 10-15 minutes. Check the chicken is cook thoroughly. It should not have any pink meat left in it!

Add a teaspoon of garam massala right at the end of cooking, stir thoroughly. Sprinkle a little chopped coriander over the top.

Jeez, this is unbelievabe and most unfair.

I used to work on a preschool where some of the children were actually really really hungry because the parents made us serve 'healthy snacks' like veg sticks and fruit for snack and then would send them in with microscopic lunches of crackers and raisins and fruit.
Which meant that by 2pm, many of the children hasd literally run out of energy as they weren't getting enough carbs, protein and , yes, fat! in their diets...

IMHO the main point is to teach children basic cooking skills which really leads to healthy eating, your menu sounds delicious and balanced

teach them how to cook teach them how to cook

well done you, there is no pleasing some people maybe their idea of healthy is eating only steamed veg with steamed fish and zero carb or fat forever - freaks

That all sounds fine to me, definately healthy eating!

The complainers are being ridiculous. A cookery club should teach a range of cooking skills, including cake-making!

All DS's school ever cook with the kids is biscuits or muffins. That annoys me.

I think I will be trying that recipe...

Sounds wonderful. I would be very happy with my kids eating that and even happier if they made it for me

The food sounds lovely.

Blimey this 'healthy eating' at school stuff is running mad.

It's not healthy to focus on eating a tight restricted diet. People just need to learn about moderation, not avoiding foods.